Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Receives 2026 Landscape Architecture Foundation Founders' Award
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Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) has been named the recipient of the 2026 Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) Founders' Award, recognizing more than 25 years of work advancing green roofs, green walls, and living architecture across North America.
The LAF Founders' Award is presented annually to a firm, agency, or organization that demonstrates a significant and sustained commitment to preserving, improving, or enhancing landscapes.
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) is a non-profit working to grow the green roof and wall industry across North America, while increasing awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roofs, walls, and other forms of living architecture.
Since 1999, GRHC has been a tireless advocate for implementing green roofs and living architecture in North America, working with landscape architects to create the billion-dollar industries which are responsible for millions of square feet of designed, built, and maintained green infrastructure. Its vision started in partnership with Mayor Daley and the green roof demonstration project on Chicago City Hall in response to the 1995 heat wave that killed over 700 people. Since then, GRHC’s influence and impact have resulted in making cities more vibrant and livable; cooling cities, creating habitat, growing food, improving human health and well-being, and creating value for building owners and users alike.
“With a powerful vision to green our cities for all the benefits therein, supported by performance-based research, policy, marketing, education, and professional training, GRHC has made green roofs standard operating procedure in major North American cities and a common practice for landscape architects to help achieve sustainability goals.” - Barbara Deutsch, LAF CEO
Working with governments and stakeholders, GRHC has advanced public policies that include incentives, standards, and regulations supporting green infrastructure. The organization has developed various professional training programs and created the Green Roof Professional (GRP) accreditation, helping to establish industry standards and improve the quality of design, installation, and maintenance practices. Through its CitiesAlive conferences, regional events, publications, and awards programs, GRHC has connected stakeholders across the burgeoning living architecture sector, accelerating innovation and knowledge sharing. Over more than 25 years, GRHC has helped to transform green roofs and green walls from niche amenities into widely recognized components of sustainable urban development, all while establishing local and national policies to support implementation.
"Thank you for this honor. The importance of LAF and landscape architect leaders in evolving the profession from a primarily aesthetic basis to a multifunctional and measurable, performance basis remains essential, not only for the profession, but also to strengthen the business case for much greater investment and implementation in green infrastructure." - Steven Peck, Honorary ASLA, Founder and President, Green Roofs Healthy Cities
The 2026 LAF Founders' Award winner will be highlighted during a Landscape Architecture Foundation webinar later this year.
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